CEMEXIn little more than a decade
CEMEX
In little more than a decade, Mexico’s largest cement manufacturer, Cemex, has transformed itself from a primarily Mexican operation into the third largest cement company in the world behind Holcim of Switzerland and Lafarge Group of France with 2004 sales of $7.1 billion and more than $2billion in cash flow. Cemex has long been a power house in Mexico and currently controls more than 60% of the market for cement in that country. Cemex’s domestic success has been based in large part on an obsession with efficient manufacturing and a focus on customer service that is tops in the industry.
Cemex is a leader in using information technology to match production with consumer demand. The company sells ready –mixed cement that can survive for only about 90 minutes before solidifying, so precise delivery in important. But Cemex can never predict with total certainty what demand will be on any given day, week, or month. To better manage unpredictable demand patterns, Cemex developed a system of seamless information technology, including truck mounted global positioning systems, radio transmitters, satellites, and computer hardware, that allows Cemex to control the production and distribution of cement like no other company can, responding quickly to unanticipated changes in demand and reducing waste. The results are lower costs and superior customer service, both defferentiating factors for Cemex. The company also pays lavish attention to its distributors – some 5000 in Mexico alone – who can earn points toward rewards for hitting sales targets. Those points then can be converted into Cemex stock. High volume distributors can purchase trucks and other supplies through Cemex at significant discounts. Cemex also is known for its marketing drives that focus on end users, the builders themselves. For example, Cemex trucks drive around Mexican building sites, and if cemex cement is being used, the construction crews win soccer balls, caps, and T-shirts.
Cemex’s
In little more than a decade, Mexico’s largest cement manufacturer, Cemex, has transformed itself from a primarily Mexican operation into the third largest cement company in the world behind Holcim of Switzerland and Lafarge Group of France with 2004 sales of $7.1 billion and more than $2billion in cash flow. Cemex has long been a power house in Mexico and currently controls more than 60% of the market for cement in that country. Cemex’s domestic success has been based in large part on an obsession with efficient manufacturing and a focus on customer service that is tops in the industry.
Cemex is a leader in using information technology to match production with consumer demand. The company sells ready –mixed cement that can survive for only about 90 minutes before solidifying, so precise delivery in important. But Cemex can never predict with total certainty what demand will be on any given day, week, or month. To better manage unpredictable demand patterns, Cemex developed a system of seamless information technology, including truck mounted global positioning systems, radio transmitters, satellites, and computer hardware, that allows Cemex to control the production and distribution of cement like no other company can, responding quickly to unanticipated changes in demand and reducing waste. The results are lower costs and superior customer service, both defferentiating factors for Cemex. The company also pays lavish attention to its distributors – some 5000 in Mexico alone – who can earn points toward rewards for hitting sales targets. Those points then can be converted into Cemex stock. High volume distributors can purchase trucks and other supplies through Cemex at significant discounts. Cemex also is known for its marketing drives that focus on end users, the builders themselves. For example, Cemex trucks drive around Mexican building sites, and if cemex cement is being used, the construction crews win soccer balls, caps, and T-shirts.
Cemex’s